


Starbucks Lovers

by captain_romanova



Series: Romanogers Coffee Shop AU [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Artist Steve Rogers, Awkward Steve Rogers, Ballerina Natasha Romanoff, College AU, F/M, Scott Lang is a Starbucks Barista, Scott is a Good Friend, Starbucks AU, Steve is an animation major while Natasha is a dance major, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 01:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19983862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_romanova/pseuds/captain_romanova
Summary: Steve finds a place to study at his university's Starbucks but instead of learning more about animation from his books, he learns more about the cute redhead sitting across from him.





	Starbucks Lovers

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from that infamous misheard lyric in 'Blank Space' by Taylor Swift. Characters are not mine, all rights go to Marvel.

It was a snowy December morning. The campus Starbucks was packed with people trying to stay warm. It took all of Steve’s efforts to find a table to himself. He desperately needed a place to study for his college midterms, and although the cafe was not the best place to study at, it was better than his dorm room, where his roommates and best friends, Sam and Bucky, where currently engaged in a videogame match. Besides, there was free coffee waiting for him, courtesy of his upperclassman friend Scott Lang, who worked at the coffee shop. 

Finally spotting a free table by the corner next to the windows, Steve made his way there quickly before someone else could get it. As he sat down, Scott waved at him from behind the counter and gestured at the steaming venti coffee cup he was holding with Steve’s name on it. Steve grinned and got up, but not before arranging his laptop and books on the table. 

Reaching out for the cup, Steve surveyed the cafe and whistled, surprised at how packed the place was. 

“Damn, are there usually this much people here before midterms?” he asked Scott.

“Clearly you’ve never been here before midterms or finals or any time before or during exam week,” Scott replied with a grin. 

Steve smiled sheepishly. “I usually study in my dorm. I only came here today because Sam and Bucky were being very loud.”

“I’ve been working here since freshman year and it’s always been this crazy during dead week. It’s always the same type of people too. These freshmen don’t know the good study spots, so they come to the cafes instead,” Scott shook his head. “These little fish are so lost without someone guiding them. You’re lucky you had me to guide you last year or you would have been one of them!”

“And I thank you for it! Now I’m a seasoned college kid!” Steve joked. “But seriously, thanks for helping out. I truly wouldn’t have made it to sophomore year without you or your coffee.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you’d have survived either! And you’ve still got a lot to learn if the only place you study at is your dorm. The campus has a lot of hidden gems that are great places to study at!” Scott exclaimed. 

Steve smiled. Walking back to his table, he said, “Thanks for another cup! Come show me those study spots and I’ll make sure to buy _you_ the coffee!” 

“Anytime, my young Padawan!” Scott hollered back before returning to his station.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seated at his table, Steve was surprised to see someone standing next to it. Before him stood an attractive young woman with short, copper-colored hair, wearing a tan wool coat over a grey cashmere sweater and black jeans with brown knee-high boots. A red scarf was comfortably wrapped around her neck, and she held a black tote bag and coffee cup in each hand. 

The woman looked at Steve sheepishly before speaking. Steve noticed that she had the most prettiest eyes he’s ever seen: grass green with a hint of gold around her irises. 

“I’m really sorry if I startled you, but I was wondering if I can share this table with you? Everywhere else is full and I really don’t want to go out and look for another place to study at,” she said. 

“Be my guest,” Steve said while gesturing at the empty seat across from him.

She smiled back and sat down, taking out her stuff and placing them cautiously on the table. 

Steve went back to reading his book, but stopped after realizing that he hadn’t introduced himself to this beautiful stranger. 

“My name’s Steve by the way, Steve Rogers,” he revealed, offering his hand.

“Natasha, Natasha Romanoff,” she responded in kind, taking his hand.

They shook hands and smiled at one another. Natasha asked him, “What are you majoring in?”

Steve replied, “I’m an art major with a concentration in animation. What about you?”

“I’m a dance major with a focus on ballet. I’m hoping to become a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet,” Natasha answered shyly. 

“A ballerina huh? I’ve probably seen you around campus since the art and dance building are right next to each other. Why ballet?” he inquired, taking a sip of his coffee. 

She took a sip of her too before answering,“I started dancing ballet since I was a little girl in Russia. The first ballet I ever went to was at the Bolshoi. Ever since then, I’ve always dreamed of working with them as their prima, dancing the lead roles and inspiring other young girls!”

Steve smiled at her fondly. He’s never met someone as passionate about ballet as Natasha, whose green eyes gleamed with excitement. Then again, he’s never met anyone who was interested in ballet. Fascinated by her enthusiasm, he continued asking her questions.

“How long have you been dancing?”

“Almost 15 years!”

“What’s your favorite ballet?”

“I’m a sucker for Tchaikovsky, so _The Nutcracker_ , _Sleeping Beauty_ , and _Swan Lake_. But if I had to choose between those three, I’d say _Swan Lake,_ because it was the first ballet I saw at the Bolshoi. I also love the other classical ballets such as _Giselle_ , _Coppélia_ , _Don Quixote_ , and _Cinderella_.” 

“Who’s your favorite ballerina?”

“Svetlana Zakharova. I remember watching her perform _Swan Lake_ at the Bolshoi and being completely mesmerized by the way she moved so gracefully while dancing. She’s my role model.” 

“Have you ever injured yourself while dancing?”

“Twice. The first time I wore pointe shoes, I sprained my ankle trying to pirouette. That took a month to heal and hurt like a bitch! The second injury happened when I was rehearsing for a performance. I was practicing a grand jeté and did fine until my 13th attempt. I miscalculated my landing and ended up tearing my ACL, which took me out of commission for almost half a year and almost ended my career.” Seeing Steve’s horrified face, she laughed and added, “I know, it’s terrible. But I’m perfectly fine now, thanks to my amazing doctors and therapist. So all is good.”

Steve sighed in relief. The thought of Natasha never being able to dance again scared him, even though he’s never actually seen her on stage.

“Anyway, enough about me. What about you? Why did you choose to study animation?” Nat asked, looking directly into his eyes. They were a calm blue color, like looking at an endless ocean during a cloudy day.

“I want to work at Disney or Pixar one day,” he answered. “I’ve always loved watching Disney movies, and I find the artwork and animation in those movies just beautiful and fascinating.”

Nat smiled. “You’d have to be a very talented artist to make it there. Can I see your drawings?” she asked.

“Well, I’m a decent artist, so I hope that’s enough to land me my dream job,” Steve said, handing her his sketchbook full of drawings and doodles.

Natasha looked at the sketchbook’s pages with awe. Drawings, ranging from realistic sketches to cartoon doodles, filled the pages of the book, done in different mediums such as pencil, pen, and marker. There was one spread that looked to be a full-colored rendering of a landscape, done in an animation style. It was very bright and colorful, and expressed a feeling of happiness. 

“You humble yourself, Steve!” she exclaimed. “These are incredible! I can’t believe you’re able to do something like this with your hands. You’re the most talented artist, I’ve ever met, and trust me, I know a lot.” 

Steve blushed before saying, “Wow, you’re the first person who’s ever complimented me like that. My professors are always telling me to improve my style because it’s not as sophisticated as other artists.”

Natasha gasped. She couldn’t believe that people thought his art wasn’t good enough. Steve’s style was better than any famous artists’, even Michelangelo!

“Well, your professors are wrong! Your style is so unique and different, it would be a shame not to show it use it in a film! Don’t let their words get you down; listen to your heart, and you’ll make it to your destination,” she assured him. 

He offered her a small smile. 

“Okay, since you asked me questions about being a ballerina, it’s my turn to ask you about being an animation artist. How long have you been doing this type of art?” she asked.

“I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I was originally into fine arts and went to traditional art classes during my summers. However, a month before I turned in my application to this college, I was having a Disney movie marathon with my friends when I had an epiphany. I was complimenting the visuals of the movies a lot, which annoyed my friends. One of them told me to just work at Disney so I can gush over their films without being loud and that’s when I realized, ‘I should become an animation major so I can do just that!’ So lo and behold, I turned in my application as an animation major for this college, and I got accepted!” 

“That’s quite an epiphany!” Natasha laughed. “In all seriousness though, what is your favorite Disney movie?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Geez, you’re really gonna make me choose?!” Steve exclaimed in mock horror. Natasha only laughed at him more.

“Let’s see, _Sleeping Beauty_ ’s great. _The Fox and the Hound_ is great. _Robin Hood_ is great. But I’m a sucker for _Dumbo_ , too. _Lady and the Tramp_ ’s great. _The Rescuers_ is great. And who doesn’t like _Beauty and the Beast_? This is impossible. I hate this question!” he passionately remarked.. 

He looked at Natasha, who was doubled over in a laughing fit. He joined her, finding his rant a little bit ridiculous. After calming down, Natasha glanced out the window at the theater across from the cafe. She immediately had an idea. 

“Since it looks like you’re having trouble deciding a favorite Disney movie, how about I help you out by having you come over to my dorm on Saturday for a Disney movie marathon? I promise that you’ll find your favorite by the end of the marathon,” she asked, keeping her tone light but hopeful.

Steve smiled and said, “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“No, I’m merely offering to help out a friend find his favorite Disney movie,” she replied, flustered. “I mean, if you want to think of it as a date, then be my guest,” she added.

“It’s a date then. Meet you here at 10 on Saturday morning?” 

Natasha smiled. “Don’t forget to bring the popcorn.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They smiled at each other. They spent the rest of the morning studying (or trying to) and talking about themselves. At about 5pm, they finally parted ways, but not before exchanging numbers and promises to meet up at Starbucks again the next day. Natasha waved goodbye to Steve before exiting the cafe, and Steve couldn’t help but grin to himself. He looked up to where Scott was standing at the counter and blushed. Scott smirked and held out a thumbs up for Steve, happy to see his friend snag a date. 

Gathering his things, Steve left his table with a big smile plastered on his face. Outside, he looked back at the Starbucks with fond eyes.

He couldn’t wait to come back here and study again.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Steve's little spiel about his favorite Disney movie is taken directly from this Chris Evans interview: https://fandomfrolics.tumblr.com/post/144075983671/sheisraging-just-in-case-there-was-ever-any
> 
> \- I'm not actually a ballerina so if I got anything about ballet wrong, I take full responsibility for using the internet. 
> 
> \- Steve's Starbucks order is an Americano *winks*
> 
> \- I hope you guys enjoyed this AU!


End file.
